EPCOT Figment, well, to be replaced by Figment

[Cmdr_Crimson]

But dang you to hades, those responsible for sabotaging the ridership numbers for shallow gains.
You leveled a literal masterpiece for a stupid 4D film (HIStA) and for your own petty means.

 

[HMF]

Was v4 formally proposed at/by Disney or are you referring to elsewhere? I'm sorry I don't know... Still miss 1.0 horribly. I still find 3.0 pandering though I realize it's technically better than 2.0.

I don't want to defend 2.0 but at least it knew what it's tone was. 3.0 is a mishmash of the tone of 1 and 2 and it shows.

 

[HMF]

It was to replace the current one. I had a chat with someone about it at the parks 25th anniversary.

I actually have mixed feelings in retrospect about the 25th Anniversary. It showed Disney there was an audience for the park as it originally existed but it also gave them the idea that they can just slap 80s era EPCOT iconogrophy on something and it will sell but they don't really seem to know "why"? The inevitable result is a park that feels more like the EPCOT of the 1980s ostensibly but the "Educate Inform and Inspire" aspect is clearly gone. In other words you can slap a flower logo on every trash can but it still doesn't "feel" like EPCOT.

 

[HMF]

I recall hearing that the fourth version was scrapped because the budget was stolen by the Nemo overlay of the Living Seas. Then it got scrapped again because the budget was stolen by Frozen Ever After.

Sounds believable.

 

[HMF]

I heard it's lunch got stolen by the following:
•Nemo
•Frozen
•Rat
•SSE (which didn't happen, so i guess the money went POOF!)
•Guardians
•That new show that had the ugly barge
•The thing that replaced it
•The meet and greet
•The entrance rework
•Imagination 5

Does the Communicore debacle not count?

 

[HMF]

This biggest headscratcher! The money earmarked for that had to be massive. Where'd it go?

Are we talking about the money that should have gone to give the 07 version an actual ending or was it the money for the "Story Light" version.

 

[HMF]

China's circlevision isnt too far either opened in 03.

Weren't we getting a new one at one point or was that de-railed by politics.

 

[marni1971]

Can you share any of what you heard about it back then?

Yep. The whole ground floor - including Magic Eye - was to be ride. Image works back upstairs including an exterior staircase. Depending on how easy it was to level the floor enough LPS was being considered. And a version of Figment and Dreamfinder would return.

I recall hearing that the fourth version was scrapped because the budget was stolen by the Nemo overlay of the Living Seas. Then it got scrapped again because the budget was stolen by Frozen Ever After.Yep.

That was a later V 4 proposal but the Imag budget was indeed pooled with the Seas redo for Nemo. And given how cheap that was done it shows how small the budgets for both had become.

 

[Gusey]

China's circlevision isnt too far either opened in 03.

Biggest headscrather from the 2019/2020s redo of Epcot is what happened to Wondrous China? They managed to release all the other new videos at Epcot in early 2020 but seemed to have lost Wondrous China, even though I'm sure recording was completed

 

[Brer Panther]

I heard it's lunch got stolen by the following:
•Nemo
•Frozen
•Rat
•SSE (which didn't happen, so i guess the money went POOF!)
•Guardians
•That new show that had the ugly barge
•The thing that replaced it
•The meet and greet
•The entrance rework
•Imagination 5

I distinctively remember hearing that Tiana's Bayou Adventure stole the budget for a fourth Imagination too.

 

[jah4955]

I heard it's lunch got stolen by the following:
•Nemo
•Frozen
•Rat
•SSE (which didn't happen, so i guess the money went POOF!)
•Guardians
•That new show that had the ugly barge
•The thing that replaced it
•The meet and greet
•The entrance rework
•Imagination 5

Not as big in scale, but Imagination Pavilion is Florida's version of Disneyland's Tomorrowland....severely neglected after an embarrassing penny-pinching revamp failed.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Biggest headscrather from the 2019/2020s redo of Epcot is what happened to Wondrous China? They managed to release all the other new videos at Epcot in early 2020 but seemed to have lost Wondrous China, even though I'm sure recording was completed

Politics.

It would be like asking if Disney should build a Russia pavilion.

Being more specific would invite forum moderation.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Weren't we getting a new one at one point or was that de-railed by politics.

Yep, it was just around d23 expo when they announced it and nothing happend..

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

What other Old attractions are left Am I missing any other attraction?
Reflections du France (1982)
Living with the Land (1993)
Journey Into Imagination with Figment (2002)
Reflections of China (2003)

 

[jah4955]

What other Old attractions are left Am? Am I missing any other attraction?
Reflections du France (1982)
Living with the Land (1993)
Journey Into Imagination with Figment (2002)
Reflections of China (2003)

Oldest attractions without significant alteration, yes. I'd give Canada 360, SSE & American Adventure "Honorable mention" imo. But to be fair, at one of the Grand Opening interviews, Marty Sklar said the attractions within the pavilions would be replaced every 10 years. So in that regard, the fact that these are the 4 oldest extant remnants of EPCOT today is in-line with the theme park constantly evolving (as much as I'll always miss original EPCOT Center as it was).

 

[HauntedPirate]

A year of deficits for the parks due to the pandemic. Thankfully, the studios kept the company afloat.

A whole year??? I wonder what the $30 Billion in net profits generated by the parks for the 10 years prior went to...

 

[𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇]

Biggest headscrather from the 2019/2020s redo of Epcot is what happened to Wondrous China? They managed to release all the other new videos at Epcot in early 2020 but seemed to have lost Wondrous China, even though I'm sure recording was completed

I always forget about that one. Wasn't it already in the can, ready to go? Wasn't it to the point of literally being a flip of the switch? The extensive was already done. @MisterPenguin mentioned "Politics" which while being a catchall does kind of answer some things. Shame.

 

[MisterPenguin]

A whole year??? I wonder what the $30 Billion in net profits generated by the parks for the 10 years prior went to...

Mostly depreciation. Fixing/replacing hard assets.

Lot of new infrastructure such as the Skyliner and re-doing the entrances to all the parks.

And when they added new attractions, they were famously over budget.

 

[BrianLo]

Biggest headscrather from the 2019/2020s redo of Epcot is what happened to Wondrous China? They managed to release all the other new videos at Epcot in early 2020 but seemed to have lost Wondrous China, even though I'm sure recording was completed

Politics.

It would be like asking if Disney should build a Russia pavilion.

Being more specific would invite forum moderation.

I thought they were still were filming it at the time China shut down for COVID in Jan 2020?

Then it just got eventually cancelled.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Don’t worry…$60 billion inbound between now and whenever the asteroid crashes into bobs yacht…cancelling his latest contract extension